The present invention relates to a damping device for damping an opening and/or closing movement of a furniture fitting. The damping device has a return mechanism, by which an actuating element of the damping device is movable after damping has been effected into a starting position for the next damping stroke. The location of the starting position of the actuating element is adjustable relative to the damping device by an adjusting device.
The invention further concerns a furniture fitting as well as an article of furniture having a damping device of the kind to be described.
It is known in the state of the art for furniture fittings to be equipped with a damping device so that a damped movement of the movable furniture part into at least one of the two end positions can take place. In that case, an actuating element associated with the damping device is acted upon by an abutment portion or by the movable furniture part itself, as from a given relative position of the furniture fitting, and that initiates the beginning of the damping operation. In addition, there is also provided a return mechanism by which the actuating element can be movable into a starting position for the next damping stroke again after damping has occurred. When using furniture fittings with integrated damping, however, the furniture part to be moved can be braked excessively so that the resulting closing or opening time for the movable furniture part exceeds a tolerable amount. In the extreme case, it is even possible that no complete movement of the movable part at all towards the desired end position is possible. If two furniture fittings are arranged for guided movement of a movable furniture part, it would basically be possible for the first furniture fitting of the movable furniture part to be equipped with a damping function while the second furniture fitting does not have a damping device. In the sense of a movement characteristic which is as optimum as possible, however, exact adaptation to the respective weight of the furniture part to be moved is not possible in that fashion.
WO 2007/009899 A1 and WO 2007/009902 A1 disclose furniture hinges with a linear damper for damping a hinge movement. The linear damper in that case includes a cylinder and a piston which is linearly displaceable in the cylinder and which has a piston rod coupled thereto, wherein the length of the stroke of the piston rod relative to the cylinder is adjustable. The field of use described in those publications is limited to linear dampers.
The object of the present invention is to provide a damping device of the general kind referred to in the opening part of this specification, while avoiding the foregoing disadvantages.